[OPEN] Your Friendly Neighbourhood Utgard

[asgardmods]

Who: ANYONE going on the trip to Utgard!
What: A supplies run with one bonus a la carte spy.
When: Days 269 - 271 ( May 23 - 28 )
Where: Utgard
Rating: PG-13. Anything that might go higher than that should be taken to a private log, please!

[ Early in the morning on Day 269, several wagons will be geared up and at the ready by the Gate of Fog. The first two are more obviously intended for supplies, while the drivers of the last few will welcome Travellers to find anywhere comfortable to sit. A handful of coloured Natives from various districts will be coming along to assist in the shopping, though they're mostly content to stick to themselves in their own wagon for the duration of the trip. They won't have much to say to anyone that tries for conversation beyond simple pleasantries and a general air of gratitude.

It's a half day's drive to get to the city of Utgard, leaving the Sun just barely on its way back down by the time the caravan comes to a halt. This gives plenty of time to gather the things on the shopping list the drivers have on them. Natives will direct the Travellers to the things that are needed, such as bandages, food rations and the typical things expected for war efforts - though every now and again, very quietly, the Natives will check up on people to casually suggest that they might like to pick up a nice coat or two. Perhaps some sturdy gloves here or there, and a few portable heaters and the likes. Not overtly, not a great number. Just enough to give the general idea that there might be use of some warmer gear before long. If asked about them, the Natives won't say anything, only that it's always good to be prepared.

Day 270 will be left entirely to the Travellers' discretion. As promised, the Natives will hand everyone that helped out the day before a small pouch of seven silver runes and seven copper runes ( approximately $70 USD ) to spend on whatever they like. Remember that Utgard is a metropolitan city with higher technology levels than that of Asgard. You could buy a computer or radio here that would transmit and receive signals, but only within the boundaries of Utgard. Once it is brought back into Asgard, they will no longer function beyond having shiny dials and buttons. Travellers are welcome to keep anything left over from their allowances after they're done with their shopping.

On the morning of Day 271, the Natives will give the Travellers just a little while longer to look around while they make sure everything is packed securely and accounted for in the wagons before the caravan sets off around 10AM. There's another half day's travel ahead, and they want to be out of the woods before dark, so do try to be on time or wait for the next wagon!

Things seem to go off without a hitch, though, and the caravan will be moving right on time. The only thing that might seem a bit strange is that there is one Native that seems more interactive than the others. He might smile directly at you or ask some seemingly harmless questions, like how long you've been in Asgard for and what kinds of things you like to do during your day. He might comment how it's great that you're doing so much for them, and isn't it wonderful that we're in a time of peace? How long do you think it will last?

You can feel free to be suspicious about this "Native"'s behaviour, but as per the RNG, it will be Percival (sleeveless) that catches the spy! When it happens, the caravan will come to a halt and one of Heimdall's Natives will welcome Percival and a few others to come sit and guard the spy in one of the emptier wagons where none of the actual Natives will be at all inclined to give anything away, even by mistake. The mods will try to handle a couple threads for him. He won't have much to say after being caught, though, half because there will likely be several threads for him that we will have to devote time to and have because spies are such sour things when they get caught. :( No harm is to come to the spy or anyone else until Percival has had a chance to put up an open post on the network to discuss what to do with the spy. ]

[ OOC NOTES: This is the mingle log for the Your Friendly Neighbourhood Utgard plot! Please put the day/location in the title of your comment, along with [OPEN/CLOSED]. Also, if you haven't already, please check out the poll regarding how to handle Thiazi's spy over here.

edit: The IC network post regarding the spy is up over here! Let us know if you have any questions! ]

Comments

[lethechained]

[That's the thing about Naminé - while she chooses not to lie, while she keeps so many things candid and honest, there is so frequently a lot that she doesn't say, things swimming under the surface in the implied and the not implied and the reasons she chooses to say what she does, the things from personal experience that are in the hearts of others, too, if they're listening.]

Maybe.

[She seems to smooth after that, her embarrassment ebbing away.]

A lot of things are a bit of both.

[Just maybe not always the same 'both'. Her eyes drift a moment, then come back to him, and at last she does turn to start walking again. Whether he's caught in that criticism, whether she knows it's there, it's hard to tell - though she does have her ways, does have her instincts, and as they walk she turns her eyes casually his direction to regard him for a moment or two, expression difficult to parse, then finally says, smile easing wider again as she turns to look at him properly,]

Are you ready to go, or would you like to take a quick look around?

[feathery]

[Davesprite shouldn't be here.]

I'm good.

[It comes out easy, casual, and his pace back down the aisles of art supplies is languid.]

We still got to find some hippos, right.

[And then she won't have to deal with his bullshit anymore.]

[lethechained]

Alright.

[And she keeps easily in step next to him. She's not exactly one inclined to loiter or shuffle or any such thing (even if she'd had those habits the hospital and her many times spent working in dire situations would have broken her of them) but she follows his metaphorical lead, shorter steps timing themselves by his. She does not always look at him as they walk, but that never stops her from sticking that same comfortable distance to the side. When he speaks, she smiles up at him.]

Right! That was the plan. It would be a shame to come all this way and not find them.

[She certainly doesn't look like someone who feels she's dealing with being presented leavings from a creature of bovine persuasion.]

[feathery]

[Jade never did, either.]

With the way things work around here, they might end up coming to find us and turn out to be less than friendly after the neglect and empty promises.

[When he glances down at her, peripherally catching her upward gaze, he doesn't meet her eyes. His sunglasses make it nigh impossible to tell and the glance only grazes her, before he focuses back on where he's going and adjusts the lenses by their bridge.]

[lethechained]

[They have some striking similarities and some striking differences, depending on where one is looking.]

[The girl seems unfazed, how much she's aware of whether or not he's looking at her questionable but apparently not enough to trouble her, either way. (He'll find her much harder to deter than that.) Her focus shifts only nonchalantly when his hand moves and is quick to go back again, aimed toward the shades themselves - or what's under them, more or less.]

That seems like a distinct possibility. [She attempts to manage to look sympathetic to their fictional plight, but doesn't quite accomplish it.] Their poor hearts would be broken, I'm sure. I wouldn't blame them if they were angry. So-- better we avoid it altogether and do what we came to do. [Or, you know, one of the side reasons they're here.]

[feathery]

[The similarities haven't escaped Davesprite's notice and that only ramps up his unease.]

Hell yeah. We'll be the big damn heroes, here to save the day.

[He stops near the registers, one hand catching on the counter edge, and he balances himself against it as they wait to check out. It isn't too busy right now, but there are a few people who throw them curious looks.

His wings shift and resettle as he folds his arms, head turning towards the windows.]

You ever been to many of the stores around here?

[lethechained]

I think we owe them that much. Besides, it might not be so bad to be a hero.

[She passes her purchase over to be rung up, hands falling to press lightly together in front of her as she waits. Glancing around, she catches one or two of those looks, turning back to see what they're so focused on just in time to watch his wings move.]

[She doesn't stare, though as her eyes turn away there's something subtly sympathetic in the set of her mouth right up until he asks that and she smiles again, considering the question only a moment before shaking her head.]

Not really...! There's so much in this city that I still haven't gotten the chance to see. I've barely scratched the surface, I think. [A beat.] It's nice.

[She hands the money over to the clerk.]

[feathery]

It depends if the moniker deducts brain cells and dooms us to a lifetime of dumb choices.

[He nods a little when she answers his question, watching as the clerk bags the pencils and returns the package to her.]

This is only the second time I've been here. It automatically gets a stamp of approval, since you can rustle up an actual internet connection.

[lethechained]

[Her mouth flickers upward at the edges.]

I wouldn't worry about that. You don't lose your free will just from becoming a hero.

[She's known enough of them to be sure of that - but having a low brain cell count in the first place, well....]

[She turns back again after thanking the cashier, purchase in hand.]

I keep hearing about that. It really must be important to all of you.

[feathery]

It's how I met Jade and John and Rose in the first place.

[He says it with a bit of a shrug as she turns towards him, waiting a beat before he heads towards the exit.

Time to get this show back on the road, he figures. He holds the door open for her again.]

[lethechained]

[She nods her understanding, quiet for a brief time as she walks alongside him and offers a grateful smile half over her shoulder as he holds the door.]

I can understand that. I've always appreciated having the network around. [Which, she knows at least enough to be aware, is a comparison but probably a pale one.] I thought it was strange at first, meeting people without being able to actually see them, but it's been very... efficient.

[feathery]

Yeah, it lets you cover a lot of ground. And pick out the douchebags who need to meet some extra strength weedkiller, even if they still spring right back up afterwards.

[He pauses a moment, once they're back on the street, to get his bearings.]

[lethechained]

[The girl stops next to him, glancing around briefly before looking up at him, patient. Sometimes it pays to have a memory like hers.]

Mm. I suppose that's one way to put it. [A rude sort of way, but also one that makes her smile.] That, and it does make it easier to speak to people you already know you wouldn't want to talk to in person.

[Naminé are you admitting to being a network troll--]

[feathery]

[It isn't so much that he's lost, but rather he's only seen the toy store in passing. And Davesprite had used a fairly different route to wander the city then.

But he orients himself quickly enough—though perhaps not nearly as quickly as someone who rules over space—and sets an easy pace in its direction.]

You bother talking to them in the first place?

[He says it with a hint of amusement, though less than if he were completely at ease.]

[lethechained]

[Which she is perfectly happy to follow, settling into place at his side.]

Sometimes there's a good reason to.

[She can, however, easily recognize that amusement, and sounds a little amused, herself, amongst the sheepishness.]

Let's just say I've... had to deal with a few people who weren't exactly my friends. That was the easiest way to do it.

[feathery]

[He raises an eyebrow, though he's watching where they're going instead of looking at her.]

So does that mean you mess with them anonymously.

[lethechained]

Mm--

[It's a little high, a little thoughtful.]

... I wouldn't say that I mess them. It's more like I... have conversations that I couldn't have had any other way, in the hopes of better preparing myself for what they might do and discouraging them from making unwise decisions in the first place.

[... Constructive messing with them?]

[feathery]

[Ok, that gets her a look, still faintly amused.]

You're totally messing with them.

[lethechained]

[She's torn between being embarrassed and amused, herself.]

I'm really only trying to help. I don't mean them any harm.

[Whether they deserve it or not.]

[feathery]

Sure, I'll keep that in mind when I see someone anonymously busting out the psychological warfare on a poor, unsuspecting chump. You had the network duped pretty good.

[lethechained]

[Or when she anonymously busts out psychological warfare on some poor, unsuspecting chump in private mode, but she's not about to admit to that, too.]

I wasn't trying to dupe anybody.

[But she laughs along with it, more amused than embarrassed.]

Well, at least not the network itself. Some people... just need to be pointed in the right direction. For their own good, and everyone else's. If I can't do that when they know it's me, then there are always other ways. I never lie to them.

[Just hide from them.]

[feathery]

[He's a little skeptical about pointing anyone in any direction, for their own good or not—call it cynicism and getting psychoanalyzed by Rose—but he ends up distracted by a sign farther up the road.

He gestures to it with a nod of his head.]

Check it, looks like our stop.

[It's still a few blocks down, but the lit neon makes it easy enough to identify as what is almost irrefutably a toy store.]

[lethechained]

[It's hard not to when it's basically what you're built for. Naminé, at least, has sort of been forced to accept the role.]

[She looks up automatically at the nod, eyes lighting readily on the neon sign.]

Huh...! Looks like fun.

[Or, you know, the place to accomplish their set goal, whatever. Let her enjoy actually being around something whimsical for once, okay.]

[feathery]

[It looks pretty whimsical. Davesprite is vaguely reminded of Toys "R" Us, at least as well as he can remember anything of the sort. Though the store doesn't look much like the massive warehouse style buildings back on Earth. It's more colorful, for one.]

Ought to be, if they believe in anything like Chuck E. Cheese's motto.

[lethechained]

[It's more than enough; the thing about having grown up the way she did is that anything designed to catch the attention of children is probably going to work on her, too. Being surrounded by asylum white most of her life kind of makes all the colorful things that much more appealing, even after all the time she's lived in Asgard. (It's not so much for color, after all.)]

[She manages with an effort to tear her eyes away from the store to look over at him only long enough for a curious,]

'Chuck E. Cheese'?

[that is probably more neatly enunciated than it has been on the numerous and clumsier lips of many youngsters before her.]